All I Want for Christmas is You
by Kellycat77
Summary: Christmas time is here and Artemis gets himself into trouble when he tells a lie to not disappoint his mother. Now needing the help of Holly, will they be able to get through the holiday season passing off the elf as his girlfriend? But when the lie spreads to more extreme measures on its own, Artemis and Holly realize that maybe they aren't acting as much as they think. A/H!
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so this is my fluff-filled, teenage romance, knock-back-with-a-cup-o'-hot chocolate Christmas special! I am really excited about this, because I have wanted to do a special in a long time. "The Truth" on my pseudonym page was for Thanksgiving, but it could have been just a one-shot anytime.**

**Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS! (To all those who celebrate) I am in American time, and starting right now at noon 12/24/14, I am going to be posting a new chapter every 3 HOURS! It will end at Midnight tomorrow!**

**WARNING!: This is teen, and I just want to remind you all of my fluff. It does get very explicit, but I will not be taking it to an M rating. On tv show stuff, it would be rated TV-14. I have one smut scene in mind, but I will not go farther than my regular T rated stuff. **

**DISCLAIMER!: I do not own Artemis Fowl (Sadly). Anyway, I never put disclaimers in my stories...I don't know why. Maybe its because this is Fanfiction and there is already a disclaimer in the copyrights? Eh, who knows…**

**Anyways, TO THE STORY!**

The cold, frozen particles of white snow drifted down from the heavy clouds above. They filled the Earth below, covering every surface that could be found.

Most ordinary people would call the change magical. The flecks swirling in the air and gliding to the ground a whimsical, happy moment that filled them with an ironic warmth.

However, a few others found no joy in the crystallized precipitation. It reminded them of canceled flights, of postponed business meetings. With everything that could and henceforth would go wrong.

Artemis Fowl the Second fell into the latter category, unfortunately. He was a scrooge when it came to the holidays, the business man never getting anything done. Whether it was his brothers dragging him into snowball fights or his mother forcing him into one store after another for Christmas shopping, he could never get more than 5 minutes of work completed.

At this moment, the genius was watching snow drift from the impregnated clouds, scowling at the tiny speckles littering the backyard of Fowl Manor. This was the first time this month that he had any alone time and he was thinking of what to get done first. There weren't many things. Actually, none that Artemis could think of. Even the ruthless criminals he dealt with couldn't stand the icy weather. That or it was the holidays and they were dragged into "family time" as well.

Either way, Artemis was bored beyond his belief.

That was not a good thing.

You see, when ordinary people have nothing to do, they create things to do or sit around the house moaning and groaning about being bored.

But-as we all know- Artemis Fowl was no ordinary person. Anytime the man was as bored as this-which was very rarely-he would spend the extra time hatching his newest ingenious scheme.

He barely had enough time to shine his signature vampire smirk before the door to his room opened.

Artemis turned around to find his mother peeking in his room, still holding the door. She had a small smile on her face, but not as big as her usual one was.

Artemis' stomach churned at that detail. Uh-oh.

"Are you busy, Arty?" Her voice drifted in from the other side of the room. Artemis' finely tuned ears could tell that there was more nervousness in her tone than the regular bravado and elegance.

"No, mother. Please come in." Inside, the man groaned. Yet another distraction that would take up his time. Angeline hesitantly walked into the room, perching herself on the edge of his bed. She sat towards his direction, so they were both looking at each other. "Is something wrong?"

The woman's smile grew a tad bit, "No, not at-" she stopped herself, obviously rethinking what she was about to say. "Yes...you could say that there was."

Artemis raised his brow at this, not expecting that answer. The genius just thought that this visit was to talk him into Christmas shopping with the family again. "And what would be the problem? Is it serious?"

She nodded slightly, "To me, it is.."

Artemis, now worried, stood up. "Has it to do with father? Are the boys alright?" He looked at the door, looking as though he was to bolt out of the room at any given moment.

Angeline sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head. "It's concerning you, Artemis, so calm down. Although, I wish you wouldn't take this topic lightly." He nodded slightly, lowering himself back down into the window seat.

"Now, I realize that you are not the most...social person on the face of the planet-"

"Mother, if this is about me and the five year old conversation about friends..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say. It had been years since her last contact with fairies and after coming back from the dead, the mastermind thought it would be best to mind wipe his whole family of his passing. Including the fairy race.

"It's not that...specifically." she bit her lip hesitantly, as though trying to form her thoughts into words. "The issue is that you are going to be turning 24 next fall and i'm worried about you."

Internally, Artemis groaned. Not again... he thought, sucking in a deep breath to keep his steady composure in front of his mother.

He had already had this conversation with his parents before. They were about as comfortable as he was-which was close to none. The conversation a few months back around his birthday started with them asking if his preference was girls...or boys. Artemis could help a tiny wince at the thought. It wasn't as though he had anything against the homosexual tendencies of others; he just never thought he himself would seem it to it others...especially his parents.

Angeline cleared her throat, turning Artemis' mind back to the conversation at hand. "Don't you want something other than your business life, Artemis? Something that can take your mind off of all that?" She pointed to his computer, where he spent most of the day. She sighed again after catching the undetermined look on his face. "I just thought I would have a grandchild by now...but it looks as though I will have to wait for Beckett and Myles to grow up instead."

"Im only 23." The genius reminded her, putting his head in his hands for a moment.

"And I was 19 when I met your father, 22 when I had you!" The expression and tone in her voice softened. "I just want you to be happy, Arty."

"I am happy." He simply replied, although thinking: well, not now I am..."I love my work, just as much as I love my family and a lot more than any woman would love me."

Angeline tsked, "Don't be like that!" She scolded, shaking her finger at him as though he were a little kid and not 23 years old. "You are always so negative. If only you would just try!"

"I do try, mother. I am just not the kind of person that someone looks for."

"What kind of person? Rich, famous, handsome? Yes, those seem such of a turn off." She scoffed.

Finally, Artemis couldn't take it anymore. The words _Criminal, kidnapper,_ and _evil_ crossed his mind path and suddenly he couldn't stand the thought of his family-his mother-being disappointed in him. He didn't know what came over him, but the man stood up, exhaling deeply as he clapped his hands together. "Fine, mother." He started without thinking, "I was going to keep this a surprise for you, but it seems as though I shouldn't."

Angeline looked up at her son with a curious gleam in her eyes. "What is it, Arty?" She asked, her tone rising up a notch with an almost excitement. It was as though she already knew what he was going to say.

"I have a certain someone who is coming over tomorrow. Someone who I've known for a long time. She is going to be staying over for Christmas."

Angeline's eyes went positively aglow, her smile returning to its regular show-all-her-teeth smile. Honestly, it was like the woman was getting her picture taken every single minute of every single day. The woman stood up to leave, nodding encouragingly. "I can't wait to meet her, Arty."

"I'm sure she can't wait to meet you too." A fake smile plastered across his face as he knew he was getting himself in the deepest pile of shit he had ever been in. More than Spiro and the C-Cube. More than Opal and her troll prison.

Artemis was cursing himself inside his head, going back over to his computer and squeezing the back of his office chair.

However before Angeline left the room, she turned around. She was clutching the door with one foot in the hallway when she asked, "And, so i don't make a fool of myself, what would be this young lady's name?"

Artemis looked up, obviously thinking she was gone by now. "Holly." He said without a second thought, giving another fake smile to his mother as she nodded and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas time had to be the one time of the year that Holly hated the most. It was sad for an elf to do so, but this particular one could not help it. Once in her life, it used to be her favorite. She loved the idea of family and love, baking and gift-giving.

However, that was when she had a family to celebrate with. Ever since her parents died years ago, when Holly was little, the holiday was never the same. She hated the smell, revolted at the sight of lights, tree and presents.

The one thing Holly could do, and did ever since she became an orphan, was drown herself in her work. Hardly ever coming home, where everything was the ghost of Christmas past.

That was the reason she was pacing Trouble's office, steamed. A look of annoyance flitted across her features as she gripped a piece of paper in her hand so tight, the elf's knuckles were white. As soon as the door of the Commander's office, Holly shouted, "What the hell is this?!" 

Her narrowed eyes quickly went wide as she met fearful dark green ones instead of purple pupils. "Lili-" she started, but the blonde just turned and ran out sobbing. Holly sighed, rolling her eyes and running after her.

Running down the hallways after her, she didn't care if other officers stared at them from their offices or cubicles. This was too important.

The elf had to admit, even though she always thought that Lili Frond did not belong in the LEP from the start, the bimbo could run _fast. _Even Holly was almost out of breath by the time she caught up to the assistant. She grabbed Lili by the arm and stopped her, almost knocking the other elf out of balance. Lili spun around by force, her breathing erratic as she looked at Holly with wide, alarmed, tearful eyes. Holly rolled her eyes internally at the bimbo. "Wha...What do you want?" Frond breathed.

"Sorry about yelling and scaring you. I was expecting Tro-" Captain Short cleared her throat, remembering that it was a professional setting. "Commander Kelp."

Lili nodded quickly, wiping her eyes with the back of her manicured hand when Holly let go of her. "He's out today. Some kind of guy party at Verbil's house."

The redhead groaned internally, "Do you know when he's coming back?" She prayed it was later today.

However, Lili shrugged. "I don't think so. You know what kind of parties Chix has." Even she shuddered at the thought. Although, there was a bit of envy in the lining of her voice. Holly rolled her eyes, not being able to hold it back this time. _Of course she would want to go. _"I don't expect him to be back until tomorrow or the next day. Even then, he'll either still be drunk or hungover."

Holly sighed, bowing her head. "Okay. Thanks, Corporal. I better head over there." She turned around and walked back down the hallway.

"Merry Christmas!" Lili called down at her. Even at the mention, Holly winced, but she didn't face the Corporal or even say anything as she walked out of the building.

Holly kept a scowl on her face the entire way to Chix's house. The elf had only been there once, and she never wanted to ever go there unless it was by absolute force. Even though the flirtatious sprite was a lowly LEP officer, his parents were big business tycoons for Haven. Chix was a full grown sprite running around in a teenagers body. A hormonal teenage body.

Even though the visit was years before, Holly knew exactly where Verbil's house was. Besides it being one of the biggest mansion in Haven, it was always the loudest one as well. Sometimes, Holly wondered if it was so loud humans could hear from the surface hundreds of miles above.

To say that it was crowded was an understatement. Rows of hover cars and limos scattered the area in front of the house. Holly didn't know how she didn't know about it. Thinking though, she supposed it might have come up when she was tuning out Chix one of the many days he tried to flirt with her.

Loud music blared from speakers that seemed to be everywhere and the smell of alcohol was clearly evident in the air as she walked into the huge house. The lights were strobing dimly and chatter almost cancelled out the music from all the people who were there.

Holly scowled around, squinting as she tried to find her Commander in this unprofessional setting. She felt claustrophobic, trying to push through all the fairies. Women wore scandalous clothing and males ran about like horny teenage boys, as almost all of Chix's parties were. Holly definitely felt out of place there, in her LEP uniform, compared to the skimpy and short stitches of clothing the other females were wearing.

30 minutes passed as Holly searched the crowded mansion. She was about to give up hope when an arm wrapped around her. "Hey, babe. Thought you weren't going to show up."

The elf whirled around to face Chix, a drink in the hand that wasn't holding her waist. His hair was in a disarray, but his eyes were alight with a deep fire. "Glad you could make it."

Holly almost choked on the alcohol emitting from his breath. She tried to push away, but the sprite just held her tighter. Rolling her eyes, she stopped struggling from him and tried to not break his arm. It would just be faster if she let him hold her. Anyway, he was too drunk to comprehend what she was trying to do. "Where's Commander Kelp?" She yelled over the loud music.

Half-lidded eyes looked her over. "Why are you wearing your uniform?" He slurred. "Oh well, I suppose we could fix that…"

The elf groaned, starting to get ticked off. She lightly slapped his face to get his attention. "Focus, Verbil. Where is Trouble?"

It took a moment for Chix to answer, as he shook his head from processing the question. "Umm…" Another minute passed and he let out a drunken hiccup before responding. "Probably in the bedroom on the third floor. Better watch out though, he had a girl with him." He blinked, a frown appearing on his face as he shook his head. "Why are you worried about Trouble when you can hangout with me?"

"D'Arvit." Holly cursed as he started to pull her even closer. She pushed harder against him, finally getting out of the sprite's grip. She sighed, looking at the dejected look on Verbil's face. "I'm here on business, Chix."

Chix scoffed, "I get it. You're more into big bad mud people like Artemis Fowl than little ol me."

"What?" Holly started, but Verbil turned around and left anyways, hunting down another woman. The elf rolled her eyes, remembering that she wasn't here to appease Chix's stupid little thoughts. She was here to find Trouble.

It didn't take long to find Kelp, as he was exactly where Chix told her he would be. Holly's only mistake was barging into the room instead of knocking.

The elf could only thank Frond that the lights were dim enough that she could only see the silhouettes of Trouble and the woman he was with. She could hear a loud moan and giggle that was soon softened and the sheets rumpling with every movement.

"Commander?" Holly really didn't have the patience to wait for decency anymore. Nevermind leaving the room and waiting for them to finish.

The movements and sounds stopped abruptly as Trouble sat up. "Holly?" He called out. More movement and a zipper being pulled up before he turned on the bedside lamp. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The elf put her hands on her hips, her hands still clutching the folded piece of paper from before, which was now crumpled from weaving through the people at this enormous party. She scowled at her Commander, half naked in only wrinkled jeans, and the strange female with wide eyes covering herself with the sheets on the bed. "I need to talk to you. It's urgent."

Trouble squinted and could make out the paper in her hand. He rolled his eyes and groaned, bowing his head. _Of course she would track me down. _"Alright." He stood up, giving one glance to the woman he was making out with only moments before. "This will only take a second." He walked over to the Captain. "What?"

Holly glanced at the other female elf in the room and gave Trouble a look. He sighed "Fine." And looked around, clicking his tongue. He took hold of her arm and dragged her to the closet attached to the room, pushing her inside and gave the strange elf an apologetic look before closing the door behind him. The cramped space came into full view as Holly pulled onto the light cord, illuminating the storage space.

"What is this?" Holly huffed, shoving the document into her Commander's bare chest. Trouble took the piece of paper, but didn't open it as he already knew what it said. He wrote it himself.

"It's called a mandatory vacation, Holly. A continued pay one. You need to get some rest over the holidays." He handed it back to her, "You are working yourself to the bone."

Holly thanked the Gods that Trouble wasn't drunk. Well, he still had the nasty smell of alcohol on his breath, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as Chix was. "I don't need a vacation. I have too much work to get done." She argued.

"Which is why I am personally taking responsibility of your paperwork, cases, and anything else you signed yourself up for to stay busy for Christmas." He exhaled deeply. "It's time you got over your fear and faced it."

Holly's scowl deepened. "You need to stay to stay out of my business. Being a therapist is not your job-"

"But it is my job to make sure that my officers can operate correctly. And to take care of them." He handed the paper back to her. "It is mandatory or I will have to suspend you. I'm sorry, Captain."

Holly's shoulders dropped, knowing that she had lost the battle and the war. "So either way, I have to stay home for the holidays." She rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She shifted to the door and put her hand on the knob to open it and leave, but Trouble stopped her by putting his over it. Holly looked back to see the deep desire that now etched his features. "Trouble...No."

"Why not?" His voice was low, almost a husky whisper. His hooded eyes looked her over from top to bottom. His breathing had gone ragged as he grabbed her waist with his free hand.

Suddenly, the closed space closet didn't seem like such a safe, secluded place to talk anymore. "Well, for one, you're drunk." Holly could feel his hand slipping down to her ass. "Two, it would be extremely unprofessional, and three-" She pushed him away, watching the elf tumble into a pile of folded clothes on the floor of the closet and snarled. "You already have a woman in bed waiting for you." _Gods, men are pigs. _The elf thought as she pushed the door open and exited the room.

Hours later, when Holly's full hearing returned, she found herself circling her block with her hover car. It seemed as though her face was permanently turned in a scowl. She soon snapped out of her coma of disgustedness. She had other problems to deal with than the stupid and rude audacity of her male co-workers.

She sighed, parking her car in her usual spot and walking as slow as she possibly could on the driveway to her flat. The elf looked around the empty neighborhood, the abandoned streets and lonely streetlamps her only comfort as she squeezed her eyes shut and opened her front door.

Holly set her keys and work bag on the kitchen table after locking the door behind her. She made a pot of strong coffee and found a good book to read. The elf grabbed the first cup she found in her cabinets and poured half the kettle in it, settling down on her couch and opening her book.

Fifteen minutes passed before the quietness of her flat rang in her ears, making it seem like there was more noise. It bothered her enough to form a headache in the poor elf's head, causing Holly to put down her book and pour the cup of coffee, along with the rest of the pot, down her sink.

Walking to her bedroom, Holly stopped halfway. She looked up to her ceiling, where her attic trap door and stairs were just waiting to be open for the first time in almost 30 years. Even though the elf tried to keep walking, she just found herself back at the pull cord, the stairs unfolding themselves to the floor, and Holly climbing them up to the top.

Huge boxes stacked on top of each other in the spacey attic. Most of them were either marked _Mom, Dad, _or _Christmas Decorations. _The air smelled of cardboard and old leather, along with a few scents of incense and peppermint. A lump formed in Holly's throat as she went to open the first box to her right, already knowing by heart that there would be homemade ornaments from her childhood filling it to the brim.

However, just when she touched the old, worn out box, the communicator on her ring finger rang. Holly jumped, her breathing speeding up as she acted as though she was a little kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She brushed her hair back and took a few deep breaths before answering it. "Hel-..." She cleared her shaky and raspy voice. "Hello?"

"Hello, Holly. It's Artemis." The elf started climbing back down the attic stairs, letting the trap door _bang _close.

"Hi, Artemis. Is everything ok?" Holly knew better than to believe this was just a social call. She knew the Mud Man better than anybody.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be? I was just going over some plans and found myself some free time. Butler suggested that it would be nice for you to be here over the holidays." Of course, at the time, Artemis knew the ulterior motive underneath what he was saying. The truth, the be specific, that he needed her to be there...For certain reasons.

Of course, as said before, Holly knew better. She rolled her eyes, "Fowl, you always have some kind of trick up your sleeve. Now, what is it?"

Artemis smirked on the other end on the line, knowing that his elf friends, out of everyone he knew, would pull this relentlessly. "Well, if I did, would you come up top then?"

Holly sighed, "Artemis...I can't just drop everything and leave Haven for your every need. Tell me what you want from me and maybe then I'll consider the slight possibility of going topside."

The genius could hear the edge in her voice, the desperation and slight sadness in her voice. That told him that she was on the fence about going or not. He could also tell that she needed just a bit more convincing. "Why don't you come up here and find out then?"

There was a long pause from Holly's end. She did want to go see Artemis, she truly did, but she knew he had something sneaky in mind as well. However, that was when her eyes roamed to the piece of folded paper from before. Her vacation letter that she left on the table with her other things when she got home. She sucked her teeth, shaking her head before answering. "Okay. I'll take the next shuttle up."

A deep sigh of relief came from the other end, one that Artemis internally cursed himself for. "Alright. I suppose I will see you in the morning then?"

Holly nodded, even though she knew the genius could not see her. "Yeah...Bye."

"Goodbye."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Artemis waited anxiously in his room, the window to the outside opened and ready for Holly's arrival. He was wringing his hands in thought, trying to figure out how to talk to his elfin friend.

_I can't just go out and say, "Hey Holly, will you be my fake girlfriend for the next two weeks?" _He thought, _I would seem insane! Well...More insane than usual. Frond, why did I do this in the first place._

He was still deep in thought when Holly did fly through the window, settling on her feet and taking off her mechanical wings in the closet like she usually did when she came to the Fowl Manor. Looking over at the Mud Man, she let out a wry chuckle when she saw him pacing, not even noticing that she was there. With a roll of her eyes, she sat down in the armchair that was in the corner of his room and watched him.

The usually observant genius then took a glance around the room finally to see Holly sitting back in his chair. He jumped into awareness, "Captain!" He exclaimed, "When did you get here?"

The elf shrugged, "About...5 minutes ago." She studied his face, and the fear in it. Her concern for the mastermind deepened, "Are you alright, Mud Boy?"

Artemis waved his hand at her, "I'm fine." He tried to sound more calm, but Holly's trained LEP ears picked up the slight nervousness anyway.

"No...You're worried." Her eyebrows furrowed as she pushed herself off the blood red chair. "What did you do?"

He scoffed as if the accusation was wrong and moronic, "Why must you always assume that I did something?"

"Because you always do, and I'm the first person you call to fix it." She bowed her head instead of rolling her eyes again. "For once, Artemis, just tell me. I'm really not in the proper mood to play your ridiculous games." Holly walked over to his desk to get more intimidating to him.

"Why not? And what games? I'm not playing games." He looked at her pained expression, "Holly, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, of course. I just don't really have patience to handle childish things at the time." She looked down at her hands, playing with a few files lying on top of the mahogany desk. The elf sighed, "What do you want, Artemis?"

Still not knowing how to persuade her to his advantage, Artemis clicked his tongue. "I might have gotten into a bit of a problem. I can't say that I don't need your help...because you are the only one who can help."

This peaked Holly's interest, even though the genius was still being vague. "Why? Is it magic related or elf related? Well, it has to be-"

"No, it's not, Holly. It's you related, in a lack of better words. I...My mother…" He was having trouble forming his thoughts into words.

"Spit it out, Mud Boy!" Holly ordered, quite worried over the fact that Artemis was at a loss of words for once in his life.

"My mother was apparently perturbed with my life, which I am fine with...I don't understand why she has the incessant need to butt into everything. It's quite annoying actually. Along with the Christmas shopping and the babysitting of the boys...Honestly, I can't get anything done! I haven't all this month." He was rambling on and on, something that deepened Holly's worry. Artemis Fowl _never _rambled or babbled.

"Just tell me!"

Suddenly, Artemis' topic changed from his mother to what had actually happened. "She intimidated me, going on about how I would never find love and that she wanted grandchildren...So, I told her a white lie."

Holly's eyes widened as she began to realize what he was talking about, "Artemis...What white lie?" She looked ready to launch herself across the room at the Mud Man. He seemed to notice this, and backed away from the soon-to-be furious elf.

"I might have told her that I have a certain, special person coming over for the holidays. And that her name was Holly…" He grimaced and winced for the oncoming yelling.

"What the d'arvitting Frond?! Why did you tell her that, Artemis?" He was right, Holly was screaming and definitely enraged.

"It wasn't as though it was completely false! You are one of my dearest friends, and very special, given the fact that you are and elf."

"You told her that I was your girlfriend." She growled, her hands clenching by her sides. Her concern disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. She paused, realizing something, "You brought me up here to actually-"

"Fake. Totally fake, I promise." His eyes were wide with alarm. He did need her. Not as much as this plan as that if she were to walk out right now, the genius knew that would mean their friendship was over. That the elf would be so mad at him, forgiveness would not come easily.. "Think about it, Holly. Just stay here for two weeks, talk to my family." He ran his hand through his hair, knowing that he was on the losing end of this conversation, "I...I don't want to disappoint them."

Holly shook her head slowly, shooting a disgusted glare at the man. "You disappointed them, as well as me, the minute you lied to them. Honestly, Artemis, you can't seriously expect me to pretend in front of everyone! I'm not doing this."

"No displays of affection, if that is what you're worried about." He faced her, his features lined with desperation. "Please, Holly. I need your help. What would you like me to do? Get down on my knees and beg? I will, don't underestimate that. Please."

"I would like to see that, but-"

Artemis got down, folding his hands in front of him in a pleading gesture, but before he could say anything, Holly took ahold of his shoulders, chuckling. "Okay, alright. I will help. But no kissing, no intimate gestures, or anything like that." She could already feel herself starting to gag at just the thought.

"Of course. Thank you so much, Holly." He wrapped her in a warm embrace, sighing with full relief.

"No problem." She replied, staring at the dark carpet over his shoulder. _At least I won't have to face my empty flat for Christmas. _She thought. "My only problem is...I don't entirely, you know, look _human._" She pulled away and gestured down at her standard LEP uniform, along with her ears.

Artemis nodded, "I know. Trust me, I have a plan." He stood back up straight and went to a safe hidden inside the wall, uncovering with a button found in the armoire. "I think I can trust you with my secret." The genius sent her a wink, in which Holly turned her focus back to the floor under their feet. He searched the small compartment before speaking again, "Ah, here we go."

Holly looked back up to Artemis standing in front of her, "Here. This will change your form to human." He handed her a slim ring, almost a band, with the exception of 3 small, sparkling green gems going across the top elegantly. Holly took the band, scanning the object.

"This isn't going to hurt is it? Or make me permanently purple?" She gave a quick, scrutinizing glance at him before going back to looking over the ring suspiciously.

The genius held back rolling his eyes, "Have some faith, will you, Holly?" _Honestly, it's like she doesn't think I am a criminal mastermind anymore._

She slipped the ring on her finger and flinched when it vibrated and buzzed for a second on her appendage. Instantly, a warmth spread around her and sparks flew from the gold and green piece of jewelry. The small elf then found herself grow to be human size-along with her LEP uniform. Holly could literally feel the tips of her ear shrink on the side of her head, reaching up and gasping when indeed-her ears were now as round as any ordinary human's.

Artemis nodded his approval, more of himself and his work that to how Holly looked now. "Very good. I have a few things that you can wear instead of you suit. Surely, that would be a dead giveaway for The People, given the fact that it has technology humans haven't even dreamt of before." It was clear from his babbling that Artemis, the Criminal Mastermind, was nervous.

Clicking her tongue, Holly turned away. She sat on the edge of his bed, peeking at herself from the mirror to her far left. "So, how far is this going to go?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as though she didn't want an answer.

He sighed, "A week, at least. It won't be as painful as it is letting on now, Captain. I can assure you that."

"Good." Soon, the woman thought of something, something that made her grip the bed frame beneath her until her knuckles turned ghost white. "But...What will happen after the week? Do I just keep coming back and pretending to be in love with you over and over again?" She made a face, "Now THAT sounds painful."

Artemis chuckled at her joke. "I told you I have a plan, didn't I?" She gave him a face that made the genius think the elf-turned-human was doubting him. "I will ask you to marry you. Your only response will be simply, 'no,'"

"And I just turn you down in front of your entire family? Is that how it works?" She scowled at the idea of being the bad guy who crushed someone's heart. Well, this someone did deserve it for doing this entire thing to her...But still...He made her sound cynical.

Shrugging his shoulders, Artemis replied, "Not necissarily. You can say that you want to think about it, then disappear in the morning. That way, there is no public refusal."

Holly rolled her eyes, "Geez, Mud Boy. You're so romantic."

A vampiric smirk was sent her way, "So I have been told." He jestered, then turned serious. "Alright, so..Anymore questions."

Short thought for a quick moment, "Nope, none that I can think of."

"Just remember, Captain. This has to be believable." He reminded her.

"I know, Artemis." She smirked at the thought her mind had formed. _And believable I can make it be._


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright! Here is Chapter 4! Phew, they are going by really fast! (I finally finished chapter 5 a few minutes ago.)**

It was midday when the doorbell rang. Angeline was helping Butler and Juliet with the in-house decorating while Artemis Sr. played with the twins. With everyone busy, it was Artemis who answered the front door.

Holly was waiting there, dressed in a long sleeved, green shirt with jeans and sneakers-one of the various outfits Artemis gave her to put in a bag when she showed up. "Hi, Arty!" She exclaimed, even though she had just seen him moments before she flew out the window, stashed her wings in the bushes, and walked to the front door of Fowl Manor. The woman wrapped her arms around him in a loving gesture. "Where are they?" She muttered in his ear, being able to get it by with the close proximity.

Artemis' answer was interrupted by the sound of heels clacking against the floor in a fast manner. "Oh, oh, Artemis!" Angeline clattered towards them graciously, a long length of garland in her hands. An excited smile lit up her face as she looked over Holly and embraced her. "You must be Holly." She greeted, "It's very nice to meet you."

"You too. Artemis has told me so much about you, Mrs. Fowl." The elf tried not to be alarmed at her closeness with the woman, pushing away so she could look at her. "It's great to be here."

Angeline smiled back and looked at Artemis. An awkward moment of utter silence passed before the ebony-haired genius clapped his hands together and smiled a fairly uncomfortable expression. "Well, I should get Holly up to her guest bedroom so she can settle in."

The older woman waved her hands in a dismissive gesture. "Oh, don't be silly, Arty. Butler will take her bags up to your room." She turned around to get the manservant from the other room.

Both Holly and Artemis exchanged a wide-eyed glance, thankful that the woman's back was turned. "Mother, I'm sure Holly would be more comfortable in a room of her own."

"So you two can do what? Sneak around at night? No. I'm just making it easier." She saw the terrified looks on their faces and let out a light laugh. "I was young once, Artemis. I know how you feel." She paused, as if thinking for a quick second. "Just...Remember there are two 8 year old boys in this house, alright?" And with that, there was no argument as she turned back around and walked back down to the other room.

Holly shot a helpless look at Artemis and he returned the same look and shrugged. _There isn't anything I can do. _He thought, apologizing silently to Holly.

Artemis led Holly up to the second floor, where his room was, and left the 2 bags downstairs for Butler and Juliet to pick up. Butler because Angeline told him to...And Juliet out of pure curiosity. They did not know anything about Holly, nor his plan to fool his family.

Well, they were about to find out.

As soon as the door to his room closed behind him, Holly started. "What the hell, Fowl? I have to sleep here with you?" Her voice was in a hushed whisper, as though Angeline was right outside listening to them.

Artemis started pacing the floor, thinking. Things were not going as well as he wanted to, but at least they were going. He ran his hand through the black locks on his head. "I know it's not as we originally planned, but-"

"But what, Artemis? Now everyone's going to think we are sleeping together!" She gave him a disgusted look as the elf looked him up and down. "And you are definitely not my type."

The genius stopped in his tracks, giving the elf an aggravated look. "Thanks for that confidence booster." He commented sarcastically. "Anyway, we should have expected this. My mother is almost, if not is, the most blunt person on the face of this planet."

"And we are adults." Holly stated, rolling her eyes. This was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. "Your parents probably already believe we did it."

Artemis gave her an astonished look. "I take it back. If she isn't the bluntest person to ever walk this earth, then you are."

The elf chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment." She joked back, punching the Mud Man on the arm lightly. It was then that a knock came to the door and before Artemis nor Holly could say anything, Juliet barged in through the door, holding one of the two bags from downstairs.

"Hey, Arty. I got your girlf-" She looked up and trailed off, her eyes going wide, then confused when they landed on Holly. It took her a moment, but she finally sputtered something out. "D-Dom!" She called.

Butler's voice was heard from the hallway, carrying the bigger one of the suitcases over his shoulder. "Alright, Juliet, give me a-" He stopped as well, staring at Artemis and Holly, even his eyes widened.

"Close the door before I explain." Artemis turned around, going to sit in his desk chair. Holly's interest peaked as she looked back and forth from Artemis and the Butler's, sitting back against the headboard of Artemis' bed.

Butler closed the door behind him and then looked at Artemis for an explanation. The genius sighed, "This is Holly, turned human temporarily by a device I created. This situation is entirely personal, and Holly is here on her own will."

"So…" Juliet trailed off, a confused look still on her face. "Is she your girlfriend...or not?"

"Of course not." Holly interjected before Artemis could say anything. "I'm just helping the liar here."

Artemis shot her a look that told her to shut up, but it was too late. The secret was already in the air. Butler, still not sure what the hell was happening, finally spoke. "What lie, Artemis?"

The man sighed, "Mother was worried...So, I told her that I had found someone." In all honesty, he was getting tired of explaining all of this. "Someone who may or may not be named Holly…"

Butler shook his head, taking the bag Juliet had in her hands and dropping them both by the dresser. "I am guessing that you want to help or at least act along with you?"

"Well, that would be helpful." Holly responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Sorry." She apologized, bowing her head. "I just got dragged into this as much as you are getting dragged into it."

The blonde with her back against the the door nodded, "So..This is all fake. All the hugs, kisses, hand holding, arms around eachother, mushy gushy stuff is going to be pretend."

"First of all," Artemis started, swinging back and forth with one of his legs crossed over the other in his swivel chair. "There will be no…'mushy gushy' stuff as you proclaim." At which, both of the girls in the room snickered and Artemis sent a glare both of there ways. "And there will be no kissing, period."

Juliet shrugged, _just wait until Mrs. Fowl gets them under the mistletoe. _"I won't spoil your stupid secret." Her face broke out in a grin as she ran over and tackled Holly into a bear hug. "At least now I have someone my size who I can wrestle."

In a matter of seconds, Holly had the real wrestler pinned down on the mattress and looking up at the two males in the room sheepishly. "I'm guessing you want me to be a bit more...girly...than this?" she shuddered at the word "girly," as though it was grosser than eating a swear toad.

"That would be really good, Holly." Artemis replied, turning to his work, muttering, "Just wait until you have to wear a dress."

"What?" Even with the ring on, it didn't take charge over her ears. The genius turned to smirk at her before looking at Butler, who just shrugged.

_Looks like I'm on my own for that… _Artemis groaned in his head. "Nothing, _dear._"

**Please please PLEASE review! I need some motivation to get me through this night! REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

Holly was looking up at the ceiling of Artemis' bedroom for a while after she had settled down. The Butler siblings had gone back to help Mrs. Fowl with more decorations. The elf started recalling the feeling of Christmas when she entered Fowl Manor before.

Even though the Irish air was nippy, given the fact they were so up to the north, the house was as warm as coffee. The huge space was covered with garland and tinsel, wreaths and glitter from ceiling to floor. Holly smiled, remembering how her parents used to decorate their house. It was always festive, and always smelled like her mother's Christmas cookies and...family. It was always hard for Holly to categorize that. The sweet smell of her home, of the earthy freshness that came along with it.

Of course, elves never had a real Christmas tree. It was against their nature. That reminded Holly…

"Where's your Christmas tree?" She asked, pushing herself onto her hands to look at the genius in front of her. Artemis, who was typing about a million words a minute.

"We put that up the day before Christmas eve." He replied slowly, trying to not break his conversation or focus with his work. "So the boys don't topple it over."

"Oh."

"You should start unpacking." Artemis said, his focus still on the computer screen in front of him. "I believe you have been here long enough to know where things go."

Holly sighed, nodding even though Artemis wasn't paying attention to her movements. "Yeah..I guess." She walked by him to get to the suitcases, but the genius grabbed her wrist.

"I was joking, Holls. Relax, everything is going to be okay." He looked up at her with complete and utter sincerity.

The elf bit her lip, "I'm trying, Artemis. I really am. I'm just..so tense, like one little thing is going to ruin it." She sat on the edge of his desk, looking back at him while he still had a grasp on her wrist.

"Don't think of this like you are deceiving my family." It was like he could read her thoughts. "You are one of my dear and close friends. I consider us very close. You've saved me more times than I count, and for that I am very thankful and know that I love you dearly." He stood up and put the hand that wasn't hold hers against the elf's cheek. "I'm glad I can actually touch you without having to stoop so low."

"Art-" She was about to pull away when Artemis tightened his grip defensively and the door to his room burst open for the second time that day.

"Artemis, Myles' trying to steal my toy!" Beckett started, but stopped dead when he saw his brother. "EW!" He shouted, "You two are kissing!"

Myles walked patiently into the room after his twin brother, rolling his eyes. "Artemis is a grown man, Beckett. You are the one who went into the room without knocking." _At least they weren't doing anything that would scar my dear, ignorant, brother. _

Holly, still shocked, didn't say anything as Artemis peeled himself off of her. "Boys. What are you doing?"

Beckett ignored his older brother's question. "Does mom know you're doing this?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips like someone way older would do.

Myles bowed his head at the blonde's arrogance. "You must be Holly." He greeted politely. "Welcome to the Fowl residence. I'm Myles, and the idiot is my twin Beckett, we are Artemis' younger brothers."

Holly nodded with wide eyes, weirdness of this whole situation setting in. "Thank...you." She replied slowly. It was like she already knew them-oh wait! She did. They just didn't remember the elf due to a mind wipe.

Myles was dressed in his regular attire, a suit just like his brother. If the young boy had a bit longer hair and another foot and a half in height, he could easily be mistaken for Artemis.

Beckett, on the other hand, was wearing jeans and a red sweatshirt. His posture was that of a regular 8 year old boy with his wide eyes and hands in back of him shyly in front of the pretty girl. His blonde hair was curly and he had a big smile on his face-one he could have only got in genetics by Angeline Fowl.

Artemis glanced back at Holly. "I suppose it is time you met my family as a whole now." Even an imbecile could see the fear and determination in the elf's eyes as she nodded and took his hand. "Come on, boys."

Beckett pouted as they other three left the bedroom. "Myles still has my toy!"

Angeline and Artemis Sr. were in the living room, sitting on the cream color couch across from the matching loveseat. The woman was marvelling in her long day of hard work decorating the house and Artemis Sr. was listening with a smile. Her voice faded, however, when Artemis, Holly, and the twins entered the room.

"Father, as I'm sure mother has told you already, this is Holly." He gestured towards her, making the woman to his side blush ferociously.

"Pleasure to meet you." The man stood up and offered his hand, which Holly took gratefully.

"You as well, Mr. Fowl." She returned. Artemis put his arm around her shoulders, and Holly went tense for a moment, only to relax moments later. "It's nice to finally meet you."

The older man went to go sit down next to his wife, gesturing to sit across from them. They did hesitantly and Holly snuggled deep into Artemis' side, much to the genius' surprise. The boys sat on the floor, Beckett still pouting over his toy.

"Well, I don't want to say much, so there won't be any awkward silences at the dinner tomorrow, but I do want to say that it is a pleasure to have you here this week." Angeline chimed. "I hope you have a wonderful week."

"Thank you, Mrs. Fowl." The elf replied, laying her head on Artemis chest lovingly.

"Although, I must ask...How long have you two been seeing each other?"

Artemis looked down, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh, I have certainly lost count over-"

"A year and six months, starting tomorrow." Holly answered immediately. She rolled her eyes at Artemis and looked at Angeline. "Men. They are so forgetful."

The older woman chuckled and nodded, leaning towards Holly as if it was talking in secret between the two of them. "Oh, don't I know it."

Holly leaned back against Artemis and looked up at the genius. He shook his head and muttered, "Amazing."

The elf giggled, "Why, thank you, darling." She looked him in the eyes intensely.

Beckett scowled, "Are they going to kiss again? I found them kissing in Artemis' room. It was gross."

Artemis held back rolling his eyes and instead clicking his tongue as if disappointed. "Neither Holly nor I approve of public displays of affection to that extreme." He held her closer, as to reassure her.

Angeline, however, was too caught up on what her other son said. "When did you catch them doing that?"

"When he ran into Artemis' room like a stampeding bull, like always." Myles snickered. He was doing an experiment with test tubes on the floor, which Beckett was eyeing warily, with him being so close next to it.

Mrs. Fowl's jaw dropped at that. "Beckett! You can not go running into close doored rooms like that! Especially when your brother has company!"

"Why?"

Even Artemis had a hard time holding back a chuckle at that. His mother sighed, "Because people do personal things behind closed doors. Things that young boys should not see."

Holly had to fight back the urge to gag again. The thought of actually having sex with the Mud Man was out of question unless she wanted to barf all over the place. Very unlady like.

Again, Beckett asked a question, "Like what?"

"Things you will never find out about until you are...30." Artemis Sr. dictated, knowing how athletic the boy was. It would be harder with girls for him then his other two boys who would much rather read or even write a book.

Angeline nodded her approval, looking at the watch on her right hand. "It's getting a bit late, boys." By boys, of course, she was talking to Myles and Beckett, who both pouted-even Myles.

"But mom!" Beckett protested childishly. "It's not eight yet!"

"It is 7:59. Close enough. You aren't going to prosper in that 30 seconds you have left." Angeline argued. "Juliet, will you make sure they actually go to their room?"

"Yes, Mrs. Fowl." The butler nodded, "Come on, boys." She said, leading the two eight year olds out of the room.

Artemis piped up once again, once the boys were completely gone. "Well, I think that it's time Holly and I got to bed as well, right, Honey?" The pet name, although he tried to make it roll off his tongue like Holly did with "Darling" came out almost at a stutter.

The elf in disguise nodded, standing up and walking with Artemis out of the room. However, just when they were about to be in the clear, Artemis' parents cleared their throats. The "couple" looked back.

"Be responsible, you two." The two married couple said at the same time, a smirk hidden beneath their serious faces that made even Artemis flush with panic.

"O-Of course." He said, rushing Holly down the hallway until they couldn't be seen or heard anymore.

Artemis had to admit, he was rather surprised at Holly's behavior. She was sweet and kind, being loving. The genius expected her to crack under the pressure. But then again, the pressure was mainly on him the entire time. She, however, played the part to perfection.

"That was wonderful, Holly." He complimented, walking through his bedroom door and closing it behind Holly. The genius made sure to lock it this time, just in case the little twerps known as his brothers decided to barge in again.

"Thank you, Arty..But your family is so sweet, it isn't really that hard." She dug through the suitcases to find a set of pyjamas Artemis put in there for her. "How did you know my sizes?"

Artemis went through his dresser, making a beeline for the bathroom and shutting the door to get dressed. "I went with Juliet's size. There should be undergarments in the side pocket."

Holly's cheeks flared up. As if it wasn't embarrassing having someone get underwear for you. She grabbed what she needed and started changing. "So..How are the sleeping arrangements going to work?" She was curious about the genius' plans on that. "Like, I sneak into a bedroom close to here and come back early in the morning."

"You can sleep here, if you would like." The water was running from the sink in the bathroom. "The bed is big for both of us."

The elf looked at the king size bed in back of her. She sighed, "Ugh, fine. But you better stay on your side."

Artemis peeked out of the bathroom, a toothbrush midway to his mouth. "Of course, Captain."

"I mean, if it wasn't for you, then this whole 'sleeping in one bed' thing wouldn't have happened in the first place!" She stated, starting to pace.

The genius then exited the bathroom, his hair freshly combed back and dressed in silk sleeping attire, much like the ones he had given Holly. "Short, it is not like I am asking you to have sex with me tonight." He thought about something for a moment, a dazed look on his face. "However, a few moans here and there for about an hour wouldn't hurt." She smirked his vampire smirk at her.

"You are sick, Fowl." But she couldn't help but smile back at the joke. A silent moment passed before she asked quietly. "Why don't you joke around more often? You actually do have a sense of humor."

"Me? Have a sense of humor?" Artemis threw his hands up defensively. "I think you have the wrong person, Holls." He tried to walk past her to the bed, but Holly stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I'm serious, Artemis. You can actually be very funny if you want to be. Especially after you became an adult." She scoffed, "It's actually kind of cute." _Down right hot, really. _She thought.

Artemis shook his head and sighed, "Captain...I am a businessman. Not to mention one of the smartest people on the face and under the face of this planet." The man shrugged, "I can't let people think that I am some sort of joke."

"Except me." She corrected.

The mastermind smiled, "Except you. You have seen me on some of my worst days and still, you are willing to help me." He took her hand again, "And for that, I am eternally grateful."

"Hmm…" Holly mused, "It might be useful having a genius wrapped around my finger. I think that's what I was thinking when I decided to help you with that C-Cube incident." They both smiled at the memory. "Were you serious before, about holding me that way before the boys came in? Or, did you just know they were coming."

Artemis nodded, "When Myles said Beckett was running like a bull, he was very correct. I can't believe you couldn't feel the ground moving." He brought his hand up with her and kissed the knuckles of the female's hand. "This whole thing is pretend, Holly. You needn't worry about me falling head over heels for you." _Gods, I wish that were true._

"Well then, let's go to bed, Arty." She pulled away from him and crawled into the warm sheets, turning away from the mastermind on the other end.

"Goodnight." She heard him from behind.

"Night."

It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.

**REVIEW FOR CHRISTMAS! (Unless you are on your phone and can not *wink wink*)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, halfway done with this AT LAST! Sorry about not updating. Ru guessed correctly, I did fall asleep. Anyway, this is REALLY LONG! But there is a bit of fluff. No smut...yet. **

**God, I love my job of knowing what is going to happen first and deliciously torturing you all for it! **

**REVIEW! ...and I might get done with another chapter by midnight. **

**Anyway, this will probably be done in the next few days. My xmas was okay...how was yours?**

The warm smell of cookies awakened young Holly from her bed and she tumbled out of it sleepily. "Mom!" She called, wrapping herself in her quilt and walking groggily to the kitchen.

"What, Holly?" She called back, smiling when she saw her daughter walk to her seat at the kitchen table. "Merry Christmas eve." The older woman greeted.

"Christmas eve isn't for another week, Mom." She reminded, and Coral laughed.

"Just trying to make sure you are awake….Unlike your father."

Terrence walked through the kitchen doors just then, grabbing a piece of veggie bacon from the cooling rack on the counter. "Good morning, beautiful." He beamed, kissing his wife sweetly on the cheek. "You too, Munchkin."

"Dad, I'm going to be joining the LEP academy next year." She reminded him, "I'm not a munchkin anymore."

He put up his hands defensively, mouthing "Ok." then taking a bite of the bacon.

"I'm just glad you could spend Christmas with us this year, Holly." Coral smiled at her, "It really is the most wonderful time of the year."

"I know."

Just then, a communicator rang in the other room. Coral put down her spatula. "That's probably Root." She sighed, leaving the room.

Right when she left, Terrence stuck his neck out of the room to make sure she was really gone before creeping up to the kitchen table, sitting in the chair next to his daughter. "So, what did you get me?" He asked, a big, childish grin on his face.

Holly rolled her eyes, "Dad, you know I can not divulge that information. You know the rules. Mom would flip if she knew I told you." Literally, sometimes the elf took things a _bit _too far when it came down to Christmas. "Anyway, you know as well as I do that Christmas is not about the presents."

Terrence ruffled her hair and smiled, "Gods, we raised you right." He chuckled, then sighed. "Alright. At least tell me what you got your mother."

"Nope." She refused, sitting back and crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Why?" He pouted.

Holly cocked her head to the left, "Because, if I tell you, you will hold it over me, telling me that you will tell Mom, until I tell you what I got you." She sucked her teeth. "I know this game too well, Dad."

"I just want to make sure I don't get the same thing!" Terrence protested.

The female rolled her eyes, "You won't. I can promise you that."

"Well, what if I do!"

"Ugh!" Holly put her head on the table, covering her face with her hands. "Fine!" She looked up at her father. "You know how Mom is always complaining about losing her Book? Well, I got her a chain to put it on."

Terrence smiled at that. "Well, now I know not to get that." He shrugged, "And maybe I can get a locket with you in it to go with that."

"Hey!" She barked jokingly. "No piggybacking on my gift!"

"Too late for that now, isn't it?"

Before Holly could object anymore, Coral came into the room in a rush. "Hi, darlings. I'm sorry, but I have to run out to work."

"What?" Holly remarked, standing up from her seat. "I thought you were on vacation."

"I am." Coral slinged her work bag over her shoulder. "But this is just very important. It's a submarine job for the study of humans." She went over and kissed Holly's forehead. "I promise, I will be home tonight. If not tomorrow morning, tops. I promise."

"Whatever." Holly mumbled, putting her head back on the table childishly. Her father slapped her arm playfully.

"Hey, come on, Munchkin. We'll have lots of fun here." He stood up and kissed his wife goodbye.

"Bye, Holly. Merry Christmas eve. I love you!" she called out the door.

Holly didn't even bother to reply.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The scene changed and soon, she was in a tight, cramped, little space. Water was pouring in from what seemed to be leaks from all sides. Fairies of all types ran about, trying to stop the leaking, but nothing would fix it.

The air was stale, as though the air was running thin, and water was up to Holly's knees as she looked around. Yelling was happening all over the place and people were running about like lunatics. A red alarm was flashing throughout the submarine.

"This is 098HL Sub." She heard the familiar voice of her mother from the radio in the front. "Human's have attacked the ship as an unidentified water object and we are now losing air. Water is excreting from all areas."

"Mom!" Holly screamed, but the place was too loud. She tried to move, but it was as though she was paralyzed.

"There is no way out of this, Commander." Coral said, a helpless tone in her voice. "We are too far from help and all of our defenses are jammed."

Water must have risen to Holly's chest as the elf still tried to move.

"Just...Tell Terrence and Holls...Tell them I love them." Holly could hear the sadness trembling in her quaking voice as the water kept getting higher and higher….

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ahh!" Holly screamed, sitting upright and clutching the blankets around her to her chest. The elf was panting and a thin layer of sweat covered her.

"H-Holly?" Artemis mumbled, waking up from the loud noise. Once he realized what Holly was doing, he was wide awake, moving over to her. "Holly! What happened?"

The elf couldn't say anything, except shake violently. Artemis wrapped her in his arms, as if it would help. He acted as though it was one of his brother's who had the nightmare, rocking her back and forth while whispering comforts in her ear.

"I...I hate myself, Artemis." She whispered finally, after a long period of time. "I just wish I could die."

"Hey." He scolded her, pushing the elf away so she could see how serious he was. "Don't ever think that. What in the name of Frond happened?"

Holly wiped her tearful eyes with the back of her hand. "I-It was the last time I saw my mother...Gods, I was so upset for her leaving...The last words I ever said to her were 'Whatever.'" She started sobbing again, "I'm a horrible daughter."

"You are not." He held her close again, starting to rock back and forth. "At least you never lied to them about falling in love with someone."

Holly sniffled, "Yeah...That is pretty terrible." She smirked, looking up at the human holding her.

"Exactly. Holly, you never know when something terrible is going to happen. You could not have predicted that something would have gone wrong with that mission. It was a one in a million chance, and I know that you know that." He looked down at her, "Anyway, you would have made her extremely proud. I mean, look at you. You are a beautiful young woman, the first Captain in the LEP. You have helped save the world a number of times. Not to mention, you are the most faithful and loyal person I know."

"More than Butler?"

Artemis chuckled. "Butler would not pretend to be my girlfriend for an entire week, I can tell you that." The genius checked his bedside clock and groaned. "Well, it's time to start the day anyway, my dear elf. Are you going to be okay?"

She wriggled out of his warm and safe embrace. "Yeah...Yeah, I think I will." She muttered, walking to the bathroom and grabbing her suitcase on the way in.

Holly came out of the room dressed in tight dark blue jeans and a red top with a dark green sweater over it. She felt better after a long, hot shower, and was ready to start the day. Artemis was dressed as well, in his usual black suit, sitting at his computer and typing away.

"So…" Holly started, "What do you think? Too tomboy?" She put her hands on her hips and stood in front of Artemis.

The genius glanced over, fully intending to tell her it was fine and then get back to his work, but he had to stop. He raised his eyebrows at her in a surprised fashion. Any boy within a hundred miles of her would do so. She looked wonderful in the jeans, showing all of her curves, and her shirt was just tight enough to look amazing on her form. "Wow…" was all he could say.

Holly had to laugh. "If that leaves you speechless now, I can't wait what that dress I have to wear later today is going to do with you." She imitated taking pictures of his shocked form.

"So, what are you going to do today? Hang out with Juliet?" He continued back to his work. PLay time over.

"Nah, I promised her a wrestling match after the dinner tonight." She sighed, lying down on the bed newly made by who had to be Butler. "I might get some more sleep."

"That would probably be a good idea." He acknowledged, yawning, "In fact, I might join you later."

Holly's stomach rumbled and she blushed. Artemis chuckled. "I believe Butler has made breakfast downstairs." The elf smiled thankfully and headed out the door.

Walking down the hallway, Holly thanked Frond that her ears could pick up low frequencies. When she reached the grand staircase, she could hear Angeline's shrill voice from all the way down the stairs in the kitchen.

"I'm going to go see if Arty and Holly want any breakfast. No, you finish your pancakes, Beckett, I can do this alone."

Quickly and quietly, Holly bolted back down to Artemis' room, thinking the entire way. Once there, Artemis gave her a confused look as Holly made sure the door was wide open. She pushed his office chair away from his desk far enough to get up and straddle his lap, putting her head on his neck. The genius, who was stunned, didn't know what to do, or what was happening for that matter. So, with a growl emitting from her throat she grabbed his hands and put his arms around her waist, splaying her own hands on his chest.

Angeline's voice could soon be heard coming down the hallway and getting nearer. "Artemis! Hol-oh!" She stopped at the door, taking in the sight of the two. The woman put her hands on her hips. "What is the door doing open if you two are going to be acting like this?" She tried to scold, but a big smile took place on her lips. "There are two young boys in this house!"

Artemis tried his best to sound breathless, as if Holly had just kissed him mercilessly. "I...I'm sorry, mother. It was…"

"Spur of the moment, really." Holly finished, looking down at him with a fake twinkle in her eye. She turned to Angeline. "After last night, I just wanted to thank Artemis for everything he had done for me." She got off of Artemis, the man groaning a bit. "I am very sorry, Mrs. Fowl."

"It's alright, dear." She assured her. "Just be more careful next time. Please." And with that, the older woman left with a turn of her heel. However, not before closing the door behind her and locking it.

Holly sighed, bowing her head. "Well...That was _fun._" She put so much sarcasm in the last word you could basically see it running from her mouth.

"Good call." Artemis commended.

Hours later, at the end of the long and boring day for Holly, it was time to have dinner. Smells of all kinds wafted from the kitchen, making Beckett and Myles smile at each other with a carnal hunger in their eyes. Holly had to admit, even she was excited about this. She didn't even mind wearing the dress that Artemis wanted her to wear, with..some persuading, of course.

"I am NOT wearing this Frond d'arvitting dress!" She started, holding up the clothing item.

"Holly, this is a very fancy and traditional dinner." Artemis reminded her, straightening his festive red and green tie as he looked in the mirror. He turned towards her, "Just...Please wear the dress."

The elf snarled at him, shaking her head. "No, Fowl. You can barely even call this a dress with how short it is! More like a damn shirt!"

"It is a cocktail dress, Holls. It is suppose to be short." He smirked at her discomfort. "What would you like me to do? Beg?" He got down on his knees again, "Please?"

Holly laughed, "Oh no. You already played that card with me. It's done." He just kept looking at her with intense, wide eyes. _Oh, Gods. _"Oh, alright!" She gave in, throwing her hands up and walking into the bathroom.

"Thanks, Love." He could hear the growl from behind the closed door.

Being the one who picked out the dress, Artemis would have figured it would be no big deal seeing her in it. Boy, was he wrong. She stepped out of the bathroom biting her lip and inching awkwardly towards him.

The dress in whole was a deep, dark green made of velvet. The only other colors were white around the edge of her chest, around the bottom, and her waist. It was sleeveless, despite the cold, and came up halfway down her thighs. The smooth caramel color of her arms and neck were visible and it made Artemis suck in a deep breath. She bit her lip, which was glossed over with dark red lipstick and a bit of blush and mascara were also applied to her face. Along with a touch of green eyeshadow on her eyelids. Flats graced her feet that were the same color of the dress as she looked shyly at Artemis.

Artemis smiled, standing up straight. "Be more confident, Holly. You look...ravishing." The elf flushed at his words.

"I'm afraid that if I stand up straight, this dress will reveal more than it should."

"I assure you, it will not." He held out his hand, which Holly took reluctantly. "Now, if I was your real boyfriend, I would tell you that I could not _wait _to get you back up here after all of this." He smirked suggestively.

Holly scoffed, "And if I was your real girlfriend, I would do this:" she patted the side of his face. "Too bad." And walked out of the room with that.

After a few compliments from every adult in the dining room and some small talk, the Fowls and Holly were settled down, eating a meal of vegetables and fruits.

"I can not believe that the duck actually burned." Angeline complained, then shrugged, "Oh well, this is still a very nice meal, Butler. Juliet." The siblings nodded then took cover for the kitchen, but not before Artemis and Butler exchanged a satisfying look.

"So, Holly." Artemis Sr. started, picking up a stalk of asparagus with his fork. "Besides being with Artemis, what do you do?"

Holly gulped, knowing she would have had to improvise this sooner or later. She wiped her mouth with her napkin, glancing over at Artemis right beside her. He gave her a comforting look, one that let her know he would jump right in if the elf needed any help.

"I am in the police business." She said, looking over at the former crime lord. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That sounds...exciting."

"Well, it is how I met Artemis." She brushed her hand on her "boyfriend's" shoulder, smiling sweetly. "I was doing my rounds when he was doing business. At first, of course, he was annoying...But after some getting to know each other, we became very good friends."

"Annoying?" Angeline's curiosity peaked.

"Oh, yes." Holly nodded, furrowing her brows. "In fact, the second time I met him, I was probably ready to lock him up for good."

Artemis' eyes widened next to her, a warning for the disguised elf. Holly chuckled, knowing she needed to explain herself further. Especially when Artemis wanted to seem like a perfect angel in front of his family.

"It was a business meeting. The people Artemis was dealing with had gotten into trouble. With his past in business, we thought it was him. Later, we realized it wasn't and actually needed Arty's help to catch the real bad guys." Holly looked at him sideways, "He's wonderful at that."

A sigh of visible relief went through Artemis and the rest of dinner went smoothly. Well, if you count Beckett trying to start a food fight _smooth._

Holly could see herself getting up and leaving the room. the dishes were collected and dessert was finished. The only thing left to do was leave with Artemis and get up the stairs to his room. Then sleep and hope to Frond they weren't discovered the next day. However, as Artemis wrapped his arm around her waist and started to escort her from the room, he was stopped yet again by his mother's voice.

"Oh! Artemis, Holly...I would look up if I were you." The "couple" glanced at each other nervously before looking up like she said.

Their worst nightmare had come true. Hanging on the door frame...was mistletoe.

Artemis tried to speak up, "Mother...As I have said before, Holly and I are not into the public displays of-"

"Oh, God! It is one measly kiss. Anyway, it's a Christmas tradition. Come on, Artemis! Have some guts!" His mother was relentless.

_Guts, huh? _He thought. _Fine, guts it is. _He tried to send an apologetic glance Holly's way before grabbing her by the waist, tipping her over and capturing her lips with his with great bravado.

Holly was stunned for a moment, then upon realizing what the hell was even going on, closed her eyes and kissed back until Artemis set her back upright. Her whole body seemed to be on fire as she straightened her hair and dress frantically. She was out of breath and looked at Artemis while the others just clapped out of surprise, Myles and Beckett shouting heckles.

Artemis took ahold of the elfs hand and guided her to the stairs but Holly couldn't wait to get to his room. Oh no. She had to talk. NOW.

She dragged him into a coat closet on the first floor, closing the door behind her. "What the hell was that, Fowl?!" The elf hissed, turning on the light from the side.

The man ran a hand through his black hair. "I apologize for that, Holly. But what was I suppose to do? They would have known something was up eventually."

"You promised me that we would not kiss." Holly grumbled, leaning against the wall.

Even with the light on, it did not cover the entire cramped closet. The elf bit back her claustrophobia, but it wouldn't do much for long. Artemis wanted to pace, a defensive mechanism that he had ever since he was little. Eventually, the young man couldn't keep still and proceeded to trip over a box laying carelessly on the floor. He put his hands out to not crash into the elf in front of him, but that didn't do much. They were pitiful centimeters away from kissing eachother again and Artemis' hips had found themselves in between Holly's thighs, making the dress she was wearing come up even more and succeed into making the moment even more intimate.

Holly was trying to breathe normally, but with the close proximity and feeling Artemis' own warm breath against her cool lips, it only made her heart rate speed up faster. Suddenly, the situation now reminded her of just the other day with Trouble, but when scanning the young man's frightful wide eyes, she found no trace of lust in them at all.

"I'm sorry, Captain." Artemis whispered.

The elf licked her lips. "Just...Give me a warning next time." She looked up to his eyes, "Okay?"

For a moment, Holly wished he would kiss her again. The heat inside her burned furiously and with them being so close, it seemed to be a crime for him not to. Either that, or she would advance on him instead.

However, Artemis pulled away, "Alright. A warning. I believe I can do that." He got into the right foot and looked at the breathless elf. "Are you okay?"

Holly nodded, taking his offered hand and screaming curses at herself in her head. Partially for not kissing him and partially for almost kissing a Mud Man.

What the hell was happening to her?

**REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

***Sighs and looks away* Would anyone believe me if I said it was still Christmas where I live?**

**You see, I was going to be mature about bad reviews I get, but one wasn't even critiquing my work. Just insulting me. Critiquing is fine, as some people already have and I am really grateful for that. But now it seems like my 5 year old side needs to come out. **

**This is a TEEN rated Fanfic. So, yes, there will be some things that kids should not be reading. But no, I will not have sex and smut scenes that go farther than the TEEN rated setting. And for people to get upset at a few words like straddling, thighs, and sex...Well, you are probably not a teenager and should not be reading this in the first place. Can I get a hell yeah?!**

**Anyway, I said from the beginning that there would be TEEN scenes in this, but they would not go over the tv rating TV-14. And, if you still don't get it...THAT IS A TEEN RATING SHOW! So if you don't watch Vampire Diaries, NCIS, Pretty Little Liars, or anything else that says TV-14 at the top when the show starts...DON'T READ THIS.**

**Phew. Just had to get that out. Feel much better. Sorry about it. As for another comment (one I am not pissed off at, but am grateful for) I am sorry to tell you that the love connection between Artemis and Holly will be going unusually fast. In fact, I intend for the two to realize that. However, there will be drama...I just have to fit it all into 12 Chapters.**

"So, what is on the agenda for today?" Holly asked the next morning, folding her nightclothes back into her suitcase. She had barely looked at Artemis since her wanton thoughts the night before. Just thinking about them made the elf's cheeks flare up to a tomato red shade. One that her old mentor, Julius Root, would be proud of. She shook her head to try and get rid of her embarrassing thoughts, Holly had more important things to worry about.

Upon turning around, she almost tumbled right into Artemis, who had just come out of the bathroom from a shower and was dressed in a fresh suit. He was rubbing his hair with a towel, trying to dry it faster. The man frowned at the sudden deer-in-the-headlights look she gave him. "You alright, Captain?" He walked around her, not looking back at the elf.

"Y-Yeah." She stuttered. _Gods, get your head together before he realizes something! _

"Alright. Well, to be honest...I have no other work for myself. However...The boys have been badgering me to go outside and _play_ in the snow." He scowled, looking in the mirror and setting the now damp towel down on the dresser.

"You should keep your hair like that." Holly added, not thinking about what was actually coming out of her mouth. "It looks better."

Artemis paused, his hand midair with a comb in it. He turned to Holly, his black hair dancing messily with him. "It does?"

_Down right sexy. _Holly thought, widening her eyes because of what she was still thinking and what had actually slipped out of her big mouth. "Kind of." She replied, breaking the-once again-intense eye contact. "It makes you look...I don't know, younger. Like, instead of Thirty-five." Well, she had to say _something_.

The man cocked his head to the right at what she said, "Younger? Holly, I think we've had this conversation before. I need people to take me seriously. Not some kind of amateur whose father lent him the business for the day."

"You said it yourself, you aren't going to do any work today." Holly argued, staying with her point. "Either way...It will just get messed up again when we are _outside _and _playing _with your brothers." Holly smirked, knowing that he was not happy with that.

Indeed, the genius winced at the idea of snow and outside and...playing. It was outrageous to him. He hadn't done that since the twins were little and Beckett wanted him to play _Trouble. _It was a cavemen game.

And he wasn't just thinking that because a 4 year old beat him.

"I really would like to stay inside instead. Its…" He trailed off, and Holly's smirk grew even more.

"Drier?" She finished. "Oh, come on, Arty!" The elf pouted, "Don't be such a stick in the mud. It'll be fun! Have you even had a snowball fight before?"

The mastermind quirked an eyebrow, "Have you?" He speculated about Haven and the seasons influence on it.

Holly nodded, "Yes. When I was little. My mom…" She looked down, her tone saddening a bit in the memory. The elf yanked at the chain with her Book on it. "My mom and dad took me to this park every year. It had all the seasons in it so no one had to go to the surface for just that reason. My favorite was the winter. Even though elves aren't suppose to like snow, and my dad complained about it every chance he could...Mom would just smash some snow in his face and tell him to get over it." She smiled at the thought, putting on a sad smile as she worried that Artemis might bring up the sore topic of her parents. He didn't.

The man knew that Holly didn't like to talk about her mother and father much, so whenever she did talk about them, he would shelve it. It was the way she told the stories...Her voice sweet and soft, but bitter and upset at the same time. They were normally happy tales, as though she didn't want to taint the image of them she had in her mind. He sighed, "Fine."

Holly was interrupted in her thoughts, looking at him with confusion. "Fine what?"

Artemis walked towards her, "Fine, I will keep my hair down and fine I will encourage a snowball fight with my brothers later. On one condition…" He put his hand on her shoulder, looking deep into her eyes.

"What?" The elf said, almost breathless from Artemis putting his hand on her. She looked back with wide, practically innocent eyes. _Oh Gods, what's going to happen? He looks like he wants to kiss me again. Is he? Oh please...What the hell is going on with me?_

"You are on my team." He answered simply. "Because I am going to have a hard enough time fending myself off from Beckett. Nevermind if you gang up on me and go after the weak ones."

Reality settled on Holly and she blinked blindly, almost like she was being taken out of a trance. "Y-Yeah." There was that damn stutter again. "Sure thing, Arty."

The genius smiled, patting her shoulder and turning to go out the door. "You had better dress in something warmer."

Holly's eyes widened as she realized this. If the elf was going to be outside in the cold, the Irish cold, she would need more gear for such occasion. However, rifling through the suitcases that Artemis packed for her, she realized that there was no heavy coat. _How the hell do I look at him as a genius now? _She thought, rolling her eyes. So, Holly picked out a few long sleeve shirts and a couple of snow pants, along with a pair of socks for every toe she had.

Yeah...Elves did NOT like the cold.

Holly looked in the mirror, then back at the clothes, wondering how she will be able to walk after she got all of these articles of clothing on...But then she thought about how Artemis acted, rolling her eyes and dropping the heavy clothes on top of her silver suitcase.

Artemis was in the family room with his family and the Butlers, Beckett hopping up and down across from him. The genius looked over at Holly before draping his arm across her shoulders. "Nice of you to join us, Holly. I was just telling the boys about our plans to go outside today."

"That's great, Artemis." She chimed, but then looked upset. "But the thing is, I didn't pack a winter coat!" Of course, this was totally fake, and Artemis opened his mouth to say something, when Angeline interjected.

"Oh, that's alright. You can borrow one of mine." She smiled, walking down to the halls, "Come now, dear."

Holly's eyes widened, but she laughed nonetheless, "Thank you, Mrs. Fowl." The elf shot a smirk at Artemis, who frowned just slightly. He thought that it was his point of escape.

_Ha! That's what the Mud Brat gets. Trying to trick everyone with that innocent, kissable smile of-HOLLY! _She shook her head and stopped in the dim hallway for a second. She needed to stop thinking like this to keep sane.

Angeline stuck her head outside of her room. "Are you alright, Holly?"

The elf looked at her with surprise, "Yes, of course."

The woman smiled before gesturing for her to come in.

The room was rather big, light yellow colored the walls and the carpet a lavish cream. A king size bed sat to the opposite wall from the door and the curtains were pulled open to let the early morning light shine in instead of turning on the actual light. It gave the room an elegant feel as Holly watched Angeline walk to her closet on the left.

"You seem like a person who gets cold quite easily." Angeline called from the closet. "Here." She came out and handed her a white, thick coat with a fur lining. Holly stared at it for a moment, her stomach churning.

"Umm...Is that...Real fur?" The elf asked, making an effort not to throw up.

"Of course not!" Mrs. Fowl exclaimed, making a disgusted face as she looked at the coat. "It's faux, like I would ever wear something made of a poor, defenseless creature."

_Remember that if Artemis ever tells you what I really am. _She thought, taking the coat gratefully. "Thank you." _Although, if this charade keeps playing like he wants, she never will._

"Of course, dear." She said, smiling her prize winning grin. Holly was about to turn around and leave the room when the older woman spoke up again. "So...You and Artemis…." Angeline spoke slowly, "Is it serious?"

Holly nodded and forced a smile onto her face, "Yes. We love each other very much." The words just slipped out of her mouth without the elf thinking about what she was actually saying.

"Oh, I can tell." Angeline rejoiced, "The way he looks at you when you are looking...I've never seen him so happy. It makes me extremely happy to know that Artemis can be so joyful. Especially during the holidays."

Holly smiled, exhaling a bit. "Your son is...Very special to me."

"I'm glad to hear that. And I'm sure he feels the same about you."

_Not too sure about that… _Holly thought. "Well, thank you again for the coat, Mrs. Fowl-"

"Call me Angeline, dear." The older woman interjected.

"Angeline." The name was strange and foreign on her tongue. "We should get back though, before Arty changes his mind."

Mrs. Fowl nodded, walking after Holly with a big smile on her face. They found everyone in the other room like they left, except Juliet was struggling with Beckett to get his snow gear on.

"Beckett, you have to wear this." The blond woman insisted, holding out the heavy coat and scarf to the eight year old.

"No!" He exclaimed, crossing his arms over his red sweater and turning his head away childishly. "I don't wanna look like a marshmallow!"

Juliet sighed and rolled her eyes, looking back at her brother, who just shrugged. She then looked at Artemis and his father, sitting on the couches across from each other who shook their heads helplessly.

"Oh, but Marshmallows are so yummy!" Holly said walking over and taking the coat from Juliet's hands, the wrestler handing them over gratefully. "Anyway, this coat has superpowers." She knelt down in front of the young boy. "When you put it on, you blend in with the snow, so you can surprise attack anyone you want. Plus, this helps you make a lot of snowballs at one time and then you can throw them really far." She added a bit a mesmer for the next part, but not a lot so no one thought it was strange. "So, put the coat on."

"Cool!" Beckett's face broke out into a grin as he took the dense cloth from the elf, putting it on himself. Holly smiled back, standing up and turning around, but stopped.

Myles, Angeline, and Artemis Sr. were all staring at her with shocked expressions. Butler, Juliet, and Artemis were all aware of how good Holly was with persuasion, but they weren't. Holly cleared her throat. "Well, we should get outside and start, right?" She tried to make herself sound innocent, but it came a bit forced and choked.

Artemis got up, nodding. "Yes." He was a bit stunned as well, but that was only because he was nervous about being suspected. "Now that everyone is ready, thanks to you." He smiled down at her and Angeline sighed theatrically.

"Alright, let's go then!" Juliet said hurriedly, before Mrs. Fowl made Artemis and Holly kiss again. Not that she wouldn't love teasing the two about the first kiss, but she knew that Holly and Artemis were already uncomfortable with each other. She didn't need Holly attacking Artemis because he stepped over some limit. Even if it would be very entertaining, she also promised them she would help. The blond ushered the twins and her brother out the door, Artemis' parents walking right after them, leaving Artemis and Holly alone.

"Here." Artemis remarked, taking the coat from the elf's arms and opening it for her. Holly smiled and put her arms through the sleeves, buttoning it herself.

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome, Miss Short." He responded grandly. Holly had to hold back a content sigh at that. _Control yourself, Holly. _She reminded herself.

As soon as the door to outside opened, Holly shivered uncontrollably. Gods, it was cold outside. It had snowed the night before, so fresh, powdered snow covered the old. If she were still in elf form, she would have been close to drowning in the white slush. She thanked Artemis silently, but her ears still quivered in the low temperature.

"Come on, Holly!" Beckett called from a little hill, pushing a snowball almost half his size and trying to make it even bigger. The elf smiled, dashing over to the boy to help. They spent the next 15 minutes making a snowman, Beckett finding some rocks to act as eyes and buttons and Myles worrying about the symmetry of the snowballs.

"If they are not proportionally correct, then it will topple over!" He ranted, circling the frozen object, scrutinizing it with glaring eyes. His brother rolled his eyes, pushing the little genius away a bit. However, Myles was about as physically adapt as Artemis and fell to the snow, now turning his glare to Beckett, who was putting the eyes.

Juliet skipped over and put the nose in: a carrot she got from the kitchen inside. "There, it's done."

Beckett stepped back to look at it, squinting his eyes. "No…" The boy commented, "It's missing something."

"Maybe a top hat." Artemis Sr. suggested, cocking his head to the right alongside his blonde son. "I'm sure I can find one inside."

As the man turned and walked back into the Manor, Holly smiled, "Maybe with a little magic he'll come to life."

Artemis pulled her closer from behind, holding her in a pretend loving gesture as he whispered in the elf's ear. "Are you serious? Your magic can do that?"

Holly smirked, turning back to look at the man behind her. She knew that The Book didn't have very specific information of ALL the functions of fairy magic. "Where do you think Frosty the Snowman came from?"

His eyes widened. It wouldn't be expected the Artemis Fowl actually knew who the animated character was, but it was yet another Christmas tradition to watch specials until the boys fell asleep on Christmas Eve. Holly pushed away from him to separate herself from him before the genius realized her heart was about to jump out of her chest by holding her that close. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Artemis fully. "I know what the snowman needs, Beckett. Neckwear." Before Artemis could realize what she said, the elf grabbed his tie and took it off in one tug. "Here you go."

"Whoa, how did you know how to do that so fast? It takes me forever." Beckett looked at the black tie in wonder before handing it to Myles, who knew how to put it on.

"Lots of practice." Angeline muttered with a smile on her face and a suggestive light in her eyes. Her voice was soft enough to keep it out of the little ones ears, but loud enough that Artemis and Holly heard it. Artemis turned to the elf, whose eyes were wide and her mouth agape.

"Blunt." He mouthed, an "I told you so" look in his eyes. Holly broke out into a laugh and rolled her eyes.

It was after Artemis Sr. came back with the hat that Beckett was satisfied enough to move onto the next task. Butler had spent the time being making the walls of the snowball fight because he believed it was essential. After all, Myles and Artemis needed some protection from wild Beckett.

"The boys outnumber the girls, so how are we going to divide this?" Juliet reported, looking at everyone. At least there was an even number.

"Well, it seems unfair if Artemis and Myles are on the same team." Holly commented, Artemis nodding in agreement. "So, how about Artemis, Juliet, Angeline, and I are on one team. That makes Beckett, Myles, Mr. Fowl, and Butler are on the other." _This way, it works in with the deal that I made with him before. _

"Alright." Beckett nodded, "Makes sense anyway. Artemis throws like a girl." He teased.

"You told him to say that!" Artemis accused, turning to Holly. Even though his tone was serious, he was grinning like a mad man. He knew her more than anyone.

The elf shrugged, looking away. "Maybe…" She trailed off, biting her lip as she tried-and failed-to not smile.

Artemis was saving this for a later time, as in when the fight actually started and they were hidden behind the barrier, but he stooped down anyways, grabbing a handful of snow and before Holly could protest, he smashed it in her face.

The elf scooped the snow out of her eyes, looking at Artemis with the biggest smile on her face. She knew he only did that because of the story she told him before about her parents, and Holly almost started crying right then and there. _Calm down, Holly. Just...say something. Get your mind off of it. _"Fowl…" She trailed off threateningly.

The genius feigned the look of terror. "Uh oh." He jestered, scrambling away. Holly jumped at him playfully, but the cold ice in her face was effecting her more than the elf let on. And Artemis knew that. He knew she wouldn't be able to function normally.

"Alright you two, lovebirds, let's start the game." Angeline rolled her eyes, however the smile on her lips told it all. Holly shook off the rest of the snow and cold before going to the left barrier with Artemis, Angeline, and Juliet.

Juliet shouted over the barrier to the others, "Ok! You know the rules! Beckett, don't cross the barrier and try to do to Artemis what he just did to Holly, like last time."

It was then that the war commenced. Snow flew everywhere, the air filling with white. Holly screeched, ducking to the ground as she realized she underestimated being on the opposite team as Butler The elf did not want to be hit with snow again. She found that the snow at the park her parents took her was most likely fake and a whole lot warmer than real snow.

Artemis was doing the same thing Holly thought he would do: hide behind the barrier. The elf gave him a look and he shrugged. Apparently, this was what he meant by the deal. Holly sighed, rolling her eyes. She gave him another look, a more pleading look, that made him sit up unhappily. She looked over the barrier before crawling over to him.

"I bet you just love this." He snapped, "With all your LEP training you could wipe everyone out."

Holly smiled at his obvious discomfort, "Oh, but I won't. I want this to go end as late as possible. Unless, of course, you actually participate. Then I might try harder."

"You…" He trailed off, cursing himself for not knowing she would pull this. "Fine. I'll...Try. Hey, Holly-" He grabbed her arm as she turned around to get back in her position. "Are you okay? I hope you realize that before, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I wouldnt do that-"

"I know, Artemis. I know you were only trying to make me happy. I'm not mad or hurt. I'm just…" She looked away, "Christmas just overwhelms me. It's personal and has nothing to do with you or any of this, so I would appreciate if we could just drop this. Please."

The genius let go of her arm, nodding silently. Holly sighed with relief and returned to her position. Artemis did try his best, but when it came to physical activities, well...we all know he was downright terrible. Even with training from Butler, Juliet, and Beckett, he would most likely still be terrible. It was just in his genes.

In other words, Artemis sucked at the whole concept of a snowball fight.

First of all, he did not know how to make a snowball. Every year, he ducked behind the barrier with his phone he snuck out in his pocket, usually closing out business days. The mastermind knew that Holly would throw it on the roof if she caught him doing that. I mean, he could make one, it didn't take a rocket scientist to do that. However, like Myles was before with the snowman, Artemis had to make it perfectly. It bothered him if the genius did not know the exact weight and size of the snowball because of the trajectory he had to throw it. He believed that physics was the key to it. And never mind actually _throwing _the ball.

Secondly, he did not like being hit. Of course, no one liked being hit with ice clenched precipitation, but still...Artemis liked it even less. Being unbalanced and clumsy as he already was, the man usually fell right over with one measly hit.

And thirdly...Artemis Fowl the Second was targeted. Playing this game rarely enough as it is, whenever someone had the chance to throw a white object at him, they always took it. And Holly instantly realized this.

As soon as Artemis got together some snow and formed it into a nicely packed snowball, he got up to throw it over the barrier when literally all eyes on the opposite team focused on him. Before he could gather his thoughts together, the snow was being thrown his way. Holly's eyes widened as she saw it and threw herself towards him, knocking the genius to the ground.

With her right on top of him.

Even with her face reddened with the cold, it seemed to deepen even more as she lay on Artemis, her breathing hard. Holly had been freezing herself up until then. However, as she looked into Artemis' eyes, she felt warmed by his gaze; his hands around her waist. It was then that the closet scene that happened last night popped into her head for the first time in hours. His hair was messed up and clinging to his forehead in strands from the frozen water and the genius did nothing to stop the intense eye contact between them.

"Thank you." He muttered quietly. "I most likely would have gotten knocked unconscious from that, knowing me." _Oh Gods, is she going to kiss me now? _He thought to himself, _She looks like it, maybe I should help and lean-no. She isn't. Get your head out of the clouds. _

It was Holly who broke the eye contact, looking at the snow beside his head. "Knowing you, I probably should have known you would have become the number one victim." She smiled down at him, and for a second, she realized the same thing he did at that exact moment. The elf wanted to kiss him. Suddenly, their closeness felt very more...intimate. It was as though a veil surrounded them, as they noticed no one but themselves for the time being. The haze was thick, suffocating almost as the two looked at each other and crept closer. Inch by inch until-

"Alright!" Juliet jumped up with her hands high in the air. "We surrender!" Her voice made Artemis and Holly realize the present around them and jump back, shocked. Holly clambered back, away from Artemis as he propped himself up on the cold snow.

"Artemis, Holly, why don't you stay here with Myles and Beckett to help them build a igloo." She passed them, putting her hand on her son's shoulder, "Or at least try."

The mastermind chuckled, "Yes, mother." He watched Juliet and Angeline walk into the house, Artemis Sr. following them. Holly ran off towards the boys, leaving Butler and Artemis behind them.

"I'm slipping." Artemis confessed, soft enough that he knew Holly wouldn't hear in front of them.

Butler gave him a confused look. "From what? You two are doing great. Fooling even me sometimes."

The genius sighed, "That's my point. The objective isn't to fall in love with her. Besides...Holly has made it pretty clear that she wants nothing to do with me in that way."

The Eurasian gave him a side glance, "And...She told you this…?"

Artemis waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, "No, of course not. However, after the..incident that happened last night, Holly proceeded to tell me that she needed a warning the next time. A warning! She needs to brace herself for me to kiss her. I think that is proof enough."

Butler had to hold back a chuckle at this. However, he wouldn't say anything to the young man, as he was there to protect him, not give him love life advice.

It was around dusk when Juliet called from the door. Artemis was glad at that-for he couldn't stand another second in the cold temperature and the now somewhat heavy snowfall that had started half an hour before. The genius tried to reason with Beckett, but the boy did _not _want to go inside.

However, the blonde seemed to know the magic word, "Hot chocolate!"

Immediately, Beckett's head poked up from the snow all of a sudden, a giant grin on his face. "Yay!" He exclaimed, and ran to the door faster than a speeding bullet and into the house. Myles went with Beckett and Artemis waited for Holly.

"How did you manage to survive this?" He asked, his curiosity peaked. She shivered and the genius put an arm around her in hopes to get her warmer.

The elf shrugged as she walked, looking at the snow covered ground instead of up at him. Now that Artemis thought of it, she hadn't talked or even looked at him much ever since before. She licked her lips before speaking, "I ran around a lot. Produced some body heat."

Artemis nodded like he understood and they entered the Manor. Instantly, the smell of hot chocolate and homemade cookies hit Holly's nose. Which, in turn, made the Captain's eyes tear up. She fought them back hard, and managed to make it to Artemis' room before one slipped out.

Fortunately, Artemis' back was turned at that moment and Holly was able to wipe the salty liquid from her cheek. _Get your frickin head together, Short. _She cursed in her mind, _And stop acting so weird around Artemis. Sure! You almost kissed him...Who cares? He...probably noticed though, right? No...Who are you kidding? This is Artemis Fowl the Second. He wouldn't know what love is if I ran up and kissed him right now. Why the hell do you want to kiss him so badly? _She battled herself in her brain, feeling as though her head was going to explode.

"You should wear something comfortable." Artemis broke her from the internal struggle as he turned around and handed her some sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Here." He moved around her suitcase to get to his closet.

"What…" The elf cleared her throat in hope to get rid of the raspy edge to it. "What are you going to wear?"

Artemis turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow before going into his closet. "My normal suit and tie look, of course. What else would I wear?"

Holly winced before shaking her head, glad she found something to talk to him about instead of having an awkward conversation about before. "I thought you said it was best to wear comfortable clothing?"

Artemis emerged from the small space, popping his collar back into place after he finished tying his tie. "This is comfortable." He gestured to his newly pressed, dark suit.

Now it was Holly's turn to arch her eyebrow, "No offense, Artemis...But it looks like you have a stick shoved up your ass."

The man kept a calm expression as he looked at her, "Holly, I am comfortable dressed like this."

Holly crossed her arms over her chest, "Artemis, you are not comfortable. You just think you are because you haven't worn anything else in your entire life."

Artemis knew that look on her face. "Oh, no. Nope. You already convinced me to have my hair this _ridiculous _way for the time being. You are not going to dictate on my evening attire either."

The elf looked at him as if to say: _Wanna bet? _

He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Fine." Artemis exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. "You will probably be glaring at me all night, so 'fix' what you must."

Holly smiled, walking over to the genius and scanning him. "Glad you finally see this my way, Fowl." After another moment of contemplation, she tilted her head to the side and reached up, taking off his tie for the second time that day in one fluid motion.

The mastermind looked at his abandoned tie as Holly laid it on Artemis' desk neatly. "Som where did you learn how to do that? I'm pretty sure what my mother implied before is not true, correct?"

The woman sighed, "Of course it's not true, Artemis. I don't go sleeping around." She looked at him again before taking off his suit jacket and putting it next to his tie.

"W-What, Holly?" He did _not _like what she was doing to him. However, the man did not fight her. In fact, he realized that the only thing that disturbed him was he had to face his family like this. Not that she was undressing him. He shook his head to get rid of the thought. "Then...How did you learn how to-"

"My father." She interrupted, starting to untuck his shirt from his pants. "After my mother died, he went into a really deep depression." She scoffed lightly, shaking her head. "Compared to him, my recurring nightmares were childish. He would come home from a work day at his business drunk. I was glad that I wasn't a child at the time or else I wouldn't have understood, wouldn't have been strong enough to get him safely to bed."

Artemis stepped away from Holly, causing her to stop and look up, sad eyes and a frown on her face. "Holly...I never knew-"

"Of course you didn't. The only person who actually knows is Foaly...Maybe Root since he knew my parents from before." The elf looked down. "I-I don't like to talk badly about my parents." She started to mess with his clothes again, but the man stepped back out of her reach again.

"I'm glad you told me." He said softly. It was quiet for a moment, both of them not sure what to say. Holly looked at the floor, uncomfortable. Artemis gazed at the elf his eyes still a bit wide and sad from what his friend told him. After a while, it was the genius who broke the awkward silence. He gestured to himself, "Are you done?" He asked, while untucking the part of his dark blue button-down shirt that Holly hadn't gotten to.

His voice broke the woman out of her self-induced trance. She scrutinized him again, and for a moment Holly wanted to unbutton his shirt, just to see his reaction. Just to see what he looked like, despite the reaction she would get. However, she dismissed this other crude thought immediately, shivering subconsciously as the elf internally rolled her eyes. _Gods, _Holly thought, _I really am going mental._

The shiver, however, made Artemis aware that she was still dressed in the damp, cold clothes. "Here." He murmured, unbuttoning the coat around her shoulders. Holly froze at the touch, not expecting it.

Artemis noticed her lack of breathing and smirk, "What?" He asked, honestly curious. The mastermind smirked, not stopping the words from coming out of his mouth as he remarked a sliver huskily. "Not very fair if you can strip me but I can't do the same to you."

Right when he said it, Artemis immediately regretted it. "H-Holly." But by then, the elf had backed off and ran into the bathroom, closing the door.

When the genius heard the _click _of the lock, he groaned. What the hell was he thinking? Artemis started pacing his room, running a hand through his ebony hair. Frond, she was probably freaking out ten times worse than he was at the moment.

_What am I going to say to her? _He thought frantically, _I probably seem like a freak to her now. _Looking at the door, he went to straighten his tie out of habit, but found that it wasn't there anymore. Artemis sighed, walking to the door to go and knock.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

As soon as she closed the door to the bathroom, Holly braced her back against it and took a deep ragged breath, locking the door.

She couldn't control herself like this. Artemis was taking it a bit too far for her with that. Maybe he was just kidding, just helping her. Or maybe not.

_Oh, Gods. _She thought, trying to calm her quick heart rate. _What am I doing? Why the hell am I hiding? This is ridiculous…._

_But what if it isn't? _The other side defended. _What if he really likes you? After all, he did think of you out of everyone he knows to be his girlfriend._

_NO! _Holly fought herself. _Don't think like that. Don't make yourself sick over him. Besides, you're the only girl he knows besides Juliet and Minerva. He can't go pretending that Juliet is his girlfriend because Butler wouldn't cooperate with it. And Angeline probably knows Minerva. It had to be you, because of the process of elimination. _

The elf sucked in another deep, deep breath, finally calming herself as she had made a final decision. However, she must have still been stunned by Artemis' words before because she jumped when there was a knock on the door behind her.

Holly put on a straight face as she turned around and opened the door hesitantly. She fought that face hard when she saw Artemis there, his eyebrows raised with a slight bit of nervousness. "Holly, I-"

"Don't worry, Mud Boy." The woman said, circling around him to get the clothes she dropped before. "I know you were just joking. No need to apologize. I freaked out when I clearly shouldn't have. Right?"

_Go with that. _"Of course, Holly. You needn't worry about that." He managed to pull off one of his infamous vampire smirks. "After all, I have been called funny before."

Holly snorted, "Yeah...Funny looking." She smiled back at him, a little too sweetly, before disappearing in the bathroom with her change of clothes.

"That is it!" The man called after her, aggravated. "I'm not leaving this room to be presented like this." He went to start tucking his shirt in when Holly opened the door again, dressed in the sweatpants and t-shirt. She put her hands on her hips when she saw him.

"Don't you dare." She deadpanned, and Artemis looked up and stopped himself, silently thanking the Gods that it was Juliet he sent out to get the clothes and not himself. (Juliet was just glad to be shopping, no questions asked at the time.) The grey long-sleeved t-shirt was a little tight on her, showing the caramel skin of her stomach, the pants hanging on her hips loosely. He shook his head, quickly, looking away from Holly and his vulgar thoughts.

Running a hand through his smooth-and loose-hair, Artemis took a deep breath. "Shall we go and get this night over with? i already _hear _the ridicule i will get once you leave."

This time, the smirk came from Holly. "Good. And let's."

By the time the "couple" got to the family room, everyone was there. They were dressed out of their outside, snow-covered clothes and sitting on the couches and chairs in the room. Beckett and Myles-more so Beckett-were sitting on the carpeted floor by the coffee table, eating the sugar cookies and drinking hot chocolate. The little blonde boy already had a chocolate moustache covering his top lip to just under his nose.

Everyone was talking cheerfully, Juliet chattering away with Angeline and Butler talking sophisticatedly with Butler as they had no other duties for the night.

The talking soon died once Artemis and Holly stepped into the room. However, it was mostly because of Artemis. The man shied away from the looks a bit, not used to the attention from his family. Holly looked over at him, waiting for him to go first, but the genius didn't move an inch. Sighing, the undercover elf grabbed his arm and led him to the loveseat next to his parent's and across from the roaring fireplace.

"Wow…" Even Juliet seemed surprised by this as she trailed off, looking over Artemis. "This is a big change."

Artemis did his best to sit up straight, but felt quite uncomfortable. The mastermind felt underdressed, as though he was naked instead of looking casual.

Well, to be fair...Artemis Fowl would probably rather be in _that _situation than in this one. Without the scarring of his little brothers, of course.

It was Holly who spoke up next, making her tone sound casual and not at all noticeable with the spotlight they were getting. "Oh, yeah. I convinced Artemis to try something different today. More like a challenge, and I think we all know how he gets with that." She hugged her "boyfriend's" arm lovingly.

Angeline nodded, "Of...Course." She agreed slowly, still letting the image in front of her process in her brain.

"You look weird." Beckett remarked, making a strange, confused face at his older brother. Myles, however, looked unfazed as he continued nibbling on the red and green sugar cookie in his hand. "But it's a good kind of weird."

Holly smiled at this, giving Artemis an "I-told-you-so" look. However, even the elf was having a hard time keeping a straight face with him pouting and scowling like that at her. "Oh, calm down." She said quietly, leaning into him. "It's only for a little while."

Artemis didn't even respond, ignoring the woman. Holly smirked again, not able to hold it back that time. There was another awkward silence before someone spoke again.

"I was thinking that we could put the Christmas tree up tomorrow." Angeline mused, a small smile on her face.

The genius besides Holly scrunched his eyebrows, "The day before Christmas Eve isn't tomorrow, Mother, it's the day after tomorrow."

"I know that, Arty. However, I believe that the boys are old enough to realize they do not run around the house like barbarians, especially next the the Christmas tree." Her voice was pointed towards Beckett, who just smiled along like they were saying something positive about him. Angeline couldn't help but smile back at the blonde boy and take another sip from the wine glass in her hand. The woman's eyes widened mid-sip as though she had just remembered something vitally important. "Oh! Holly, I am so sorry. Would you like some wine?"

Now it was Holly's turn for her eyes to go wide. For the first time this entire trip, the elf had no clue how to respond to that. It wasn't as though she could accept the alcohol. One measly sip and she would say bye bye to her magic. However, she didn't know how to say that in words without telling the Mud people she was an elf.

Thankfully, even the embarrassed Artemis was still a genius. "Holly doesn't drink anything with alcohol in it." He stated, "Ever since her father started drinking."

Mrs. Fowl gasped into her hand. "Oh, Holly dear, I'm so sorry about that."

Holly shrugged, "It was...a long time ago…" She trailed off, uncomfortable with the subject.

Artemis Sr. cleared his throat. "Well then, why don't we invite your family over her for Christmas?"

"Or we could go over there." Myles spoke up for once.

"Yes!" Angeline sounded absolutely enthusiastic about the idea. "Oh! You have to call them now!"

"Do you have any siblings?" Beckett piped in, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

Butler and Juliet felt helpless in this situation, not sure what to say. It was their job to protect their secret, but Holly looked terrified as of right now. They couldn't do anything, not when the Butler siblings were pretending they didn't know anything about Holly before this.

"Umm….I don't think they could make it." The female muttered, looking at her lap.

"Why? Do they live far away?" Angeline asked, cocking her head when Holly nodded hers. "Well, why aren't you over there? Are you not talking to them-I mean, it is Christmas ti-" It was then that holly couldn't take anymore, jumping up and running out of the room with her head down, not looking at anyone.

Artemis sighed sadly, watching her go and once disappearing he shook his head and stood up. His father shot a confused look at him. "Son, what's wrong?"

Artemis ran a hand through his hair again, extremely glad that Holly convinced him not to put gel in it because he was doing the action so often today. "Holly's parents died. They were the only family she had. She has been avoiding the topic because they passed on a bad note around the holidays." There was a small, collective gasp, but the man paid no attention as he walked out of the room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Holly burst into Artemis' room, his family's words ringing in her ears. They made her eyes sting with tears and her head spin. _That couldn't of just happened. _The elf sighed, walking over to the window on the opposite wall and putting her head in her hands. Did she over react? They were just asking questions, trying to get to know her better. Still, even the thought of her parents made the elf nauseous. That was when the first sob erupted from her quaking mouth. And that was just the start of it, because it felt so good to let go after that, a sea of sadness and grief that had built up year after year just washing over her.

Holly didn't even hear the bedroom door open or Artemis walk across the room towards her. She did, however, feel his arms go around her waist as the genius embraced her, but still too upset to jump or act surprised.

"Calm down, Holly." The Mastermind murmured softly into her hair, smelling the familiar scent of grass and citrus. "It's alright."

"No, it's not 'alright!'" The elf gasped between sobs. "It's not and never has been, Artemis!" She turned around, burying her face in his chest.

Artemis took a deep breath, trying to pace his heart rate after realizing that she was this close. "Come on." He took her head, perching on the edge of his bed and pulling Holly next to him. She didn't look in his eyes, instead, the elf averted her gaze to the floor, still crying. "Oh, Holly." He said, reaching up and stroking her face.

The woman squeezed her eyes shut. "I miss them so much, Artemis. I just…" She trailed off, not sure what to say exactly.

"Would do anything to get them back." Artemis finished for her. He tightened his grip on her hands. "Holly, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I know exactly what you are going through. Hell, at least you didn't go out and attempt to kidnap a mythological creature...And succeed."

"You have your family." She muttered, still not looking at the genius. "They didn't die." The elf then again sniffled, wiping her nose delicately with the back of her hand. "I-I don't know what to do...What to think, Artemis." She shut her eyes tightly, and whispered. "This is just so hard."

"I know." He replied at an equal, soft tone. He reached over and wrapped his arms around her for comfort. "I do, Holly. And I have you and only you to thank for the life I have today. I was right when I said it before, I _was _a broken boy. And you fixed me. For that, I owe you everything and anything."

It was quiet after that, for the pair didn't have any other words for each other. They just sat there, embracing one another. It was comfortable, even if Holly was upset. Artemis found that he liked to hold her like this, to be this close to the elf. He moved his head and pressed his lips gently to her neck in a comforting gesture, but already loved the feel of her soft, smooth skin under his lips. All the while, his mind was repeating. _Don't think like that. Don't think like that. Don't think like…. _Over and over and over again, trying to get the loving thoughts of Holly out of his mind as he held her this close.

Only when Artemis could feel himself wanting to slide his lips up and down her neck, did the man let go. "You should get some sleep." He stated.

Holly nodded silently, wiping her eyes and looking at her hands. "Shouldn't I talk-"

"My family will be there in the morning." He interrupted, "Besides, I think they need time to stew over what they said to you." Artemis flashed a small smirk her way and Holly couldn't help a small smile form on her face. His face dropped to a bit darker tone of thought before he exhaled deeply and leaned forward, kissing her forehead for the briefest of seconds. "Get some sleep." He ordered gently, and the elf nodded. Holly crawled to the other side of the bed, not talking or really even feeling anything as she felt she would pass out any second.

It did not take long for Holly to fall asleep, but it did start one of the most uncomfortably, yet comfortable nights of her life.

**Alright, well I can guess that you can guess why this took so long. Over 8000 words...The most I ever wrote for one chapter was in Realization of 5, and that was when I just started writing. **

**I must really REALLY love yall. **

**Hope everyone had the most MAGNIFICENT holidays!**

…**.Do you think I should wait until December to finish the rest of this?**


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